The invention relates to electrical connectors.
More particularly, it relates to connectors used for automotive applications for example in Lighting such as connectors for motor vehicles headlights. Such headlights comprise typically a base plugged to a connector fixed into the vehicle and fed in current by the electrical network of the vehicle.
It is important for the driving security that each headlight is correctly fed, i.e. that the connector is correctly connected to the network, in particular that the electrical contacts, provided at the end of the network, are correctly locked into the connector.
In order to insure this security, WO 2006/034864 discloses a connector comprising a housing for the electrical contacts and a Terminal Position Assurance (TPA) front grid to be mounted onto the plugging face of the housing. The TPA front grid insures that the counterpart connector (i.e. the base in our application) can not be plugged if the contacts are not locked in the housing, and therefore the plugging is rendered impossible if the connector is not correctly fed.
To this aim, the TPA front grid of this document comprises lock mechanism that locks the TPA front grid onto the housing in a locking position of the contacts, and flexible opposite tabs for stopping the plugging with the counterpart connector. It is possible to retract these opposite tabs from the path of the counterpart connector by hand-pressing them to each other, only if the front grid is mounted onto the housing at the locking position. Otherwise, the tabs are not retractable, and the counterpart connector abuts onto the tabs, the plugging operation being therefore rendered impossible.
One aim of the invention is to provide a connector with an improved ease of manipulation, during the assembly and/or disassembly with the cable.
To this aim, the invention proposes, according to a first aspect a connector according to claim 1.